We work tirelessly every day to make the topic of ‘human evolution’ accessible to ALL: We conduct pioneering research, curate exhibitions and ensure through our outreach work that everyone has the opportunity to visit the museum, regardless of age, background or disability. We have received several awards for our innovative spirit and our accessible educational work.
The easiest way to support us is to make a donation. You can donate quickly and easily via PayPal using the button below. Of course, you can also make a traditional bank transfer.
Stiftung Neanderthal Museum
Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf
IBAN: DE34 3015 0200 0001 7811 11
BIC: WELADED1KSD
The Neanderthal Society offers various memberships for individuals, couples, families, young people/students or companies. Your membership is worthwhile because you receive:
For donations up to €100, the bank transfer slip is sufficient as a donation receipt for your tax return. For donations over €100, you will receive a donation receipt from us. In this case, please state your address on the bank transfer or inform us of your address.
170,000 annual guests, an excellent image and a great opportunity to get involved in charitable causes. We offer a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, even on a very small scale:
A promise in your will or an endowment allows for the long-term promotion of education and science by an independent institution. The Neanderthal Museum Foundation offers the opportunity to support research into the history of mankind and the museum. We provide individual advice and cater to your wishes in order to optimise your endowment and make a long-term impact.
The Neanderthal Museum Foundation, a civil law foundation, operates the museum. It fosters Neanderthal cultural heritage for the general public as well as for scientific and research interests.
It was established by the District of Mettmann and the Neanderthal Society (previously known as the Friends of the Neanderthal Museum). Only a small part of the Neanderthal Museum's operational costs are provided by public funds. The majority of these costs are met through ticket and sales revenue.
The construction and fitting out of the museum in 1996 was made possible by the NRW-Stiftung Natur, Heimat Kultur, and RWE. New sponsors of the Neanderthal Museum Foundation since 2002 are: Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf, Landschaftsverband Rheinland, the City of Mettmann, and the City of Erkrath.
Your support helps to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to visit the museum, regardless of age, background or disability.
All proceeds from donations or sponsorship go 100% in favour of the non-profit Neanderthal Museum Foundation. In this way, you support the continued existence of our museum, educational and mediation work, research and make new innovations and projects possible, such as new reconstructions or the expansion of accessibility in and around the museum.
The board is the highest authority within the Neanderthal Museum Foundation. The members are:
Representative of the Neanderthal Society:
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gert Kaiser (Chairperson)
Representatives of the District of Mettmann:
Landrat Thomas Hendele (Deputy Chairperson)
Nicole Anfang
Detlef Ehlert
Gabriele Hruschka
Annerose Rohde
Representative of the NRW-Stiftung Naturschutz, Heimat- und Kulturpflege:
Prof. Dr. Barbara Schock-Werner
Representatives of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland:
Dr. Corinna Franz
Elke Thiele
Representative of the Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf:
Ulrich Rüther
Representative of the City of Mettmann:
Sandra Pietschmann
Representative of the City of Erkrath:
Christoph Schultz
Honorary member:
Dr. Bernd Stoy
The Executive Board runs the business operations of the Neanderthal Museum Foundation. The members are:
Representative of the Neanderthal Society:
Holger Hentschel (Chairperson)
Representative of the City of Mettmann:
Volker Freund
Representative of the Neanderthal Museum:
Dr. Bärbel Auffermann (Deputy Chairperson)
Permanent guests.
The Neanderthal Museum and its history would not have been possible without its sponsors. Funding for the construction of the museum building was made available by the NRW-Stiftung Natur-Heimat-Kultur, and it retains ownership of the building. The fitting out of the building was financed by RWE plc. The land was provided by the City of Mettmann, and the District of Mettmann took it upon itself to cover the costs of any operational shortfalls. Over the intervening years, other sponsors have become involved in supporting Neanderthal heritage. Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf, Landschaftsverband Rheinland, the City of Mettmann, and the City of Erkrath have joined the list of sponsors. We look forward to the involvement of future sponsors.
With its decision in 1988 to allow the District of Mettmann to join the proposed Neanderthal Museum Foundation, Mettmann District Council fulfilled a prerequisite for the Foundation's creation. This lay the organisational groundwork for further planning of the construction of a new museum befitting the significance of the world-renowned Neanderthals and their place of origin.
With the formal founding of the Foundation in 1992, the District of Mettmann and the Neanderthal Society, as founding members, were committed to the construction and operation of a museum. The construction and fitting out of the museum, which was opened in 1996, were completed with the generous support of sponsors and without financing from tax revenues. Although the majority of the museum's operational costs are covered by donations and ticket sales, the Neanderthal Museum is not yet at the point where it can cover all its costs without financial support from the District.
The goal of the District of Mettmann is to secure sufficient funding, through the attraction of further sponsors and donors, to ensure the long-term future of the museum as a cultural tourism drawcard of international standing.
At the request of the Friends of the Neanderthal Museum, the Nordrhein-Westfalen-Stiftung Naturschutz, Heimat- und Kulturpflege decided, at the beginning of the 1990s, to make approximately six million euros available for the construction of the Neanderthal Museum. The private law foundation is the owner of the building.
The foundation has since made further funds available for the restoration and landscaping of the discovery site, for the renovation and expansion of the old museum building to create the Stone Age Workshop, and for the modernisation of the permanent exhibition to mark the museum's 10th anniversary. The foundation funds its spending through the sales of scratch-lottery tickets, as well as donations, and membership fees from the Friends of the Foundation group.
The HABRIS Foundation is an independent, private, autonomous foundation under civil law based in Mettmann, which was established by the Mettmann business couple Hans and Brigitte Schmits in 1996. The foundation pursues charitable and various non-profit purposes, the realisation of which should essentially have a connection to the city of Mettmann and its citizens.
RWE is one of the leading energy concerns in Europe. Founded in 1898 with the goal of providing Essen and the Ruhr with electricity, RWE's core business remains the production and distribution of electricity and gas.
For RWE, corporate interests are inseparable from social responsibility. We see ourselves as not only a reliable energy provider, but as a company that is socially committed to the community and the region in which we work and live. Benefits at both community and society level are our chief concern in any project we sponsor.
In this light, the Neanderthal Museum is the ideal partner. Not only does it support education and culture, it also has a clear connection to the region.
In 1996 RWE provided ca. € 2.8 million toward the construction of the new Neanderthal Museum. A further € 250,000 was made available for the renovation and modernisation work which was carried out to mark the 150th anniversary of the Neanderthal discovery.
The Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) (Rhineland Regional Authority) employs 14,000 people in service of the 10 million residents of the Rhineland region. With 39 schools, 9 clinics, 11 museums, and as one of the largest social welfare providers in Germany, the LVR fulfils responsibilities in the fields of social work, disabled and youth welfare, psychiatry, and the cultural sector throughout the Rhineland. The 14 independent cities and 13 districts in the Rhineland form the membership of the LVR. They support and finance the LVR, which is overseen by a council comprising ca. 100 members drawn from local authorities.
Art and culture are integral to our social development. They inspire creativity and foster open-mindedness in response to innovation and change. This is why the Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf sponsors exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural projects.
Visit the website of the City of Mettmann.
Visit the website of the City of Erkrath.
The Neanderthal Museum has set high standards - and not only in the presentation of the history of the Neanderthals. This is made clear not only by our satisfied visitors, but also by the many prizes and awards the museum has received for its architecture and museological conception since opening in 1996.
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